The REAL Niagara Falls

[DC83]

Originally Posted by hauchyi

They need a rezone or flip that house crews to save that treasure..

It should be saved and paid for by the Feds! The architect of this bldg (Thomas Fuller) was also one of the architects that designed our Parliament House (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Fuller_(architect)). If this alone is not reason for a full, federal government funded restoration I don't know what is!?

I heard some time ago about some developpers wanting to BUY the whole downtown core and redeveloppe it? Does anyone know if this is true? If so, maybe that's why most shops have closed so recently?

[boden]

It certainly looks bad doesn't it?

[JivecitySTL]

Holy shitcakes.

[glowrock]

Wow, just wow...



Aaron (Glowrock)

[miketoronto]

Two words for why Downtown Niagara Falls looks the way it does. "Niagara Square" Mall.

Downtown Niagara Falls is a very very small section of the city. Only a couple blocks long, and it went into total decline thanks to suburban malls.

The rest of the city is not vacant. That being said, Niagara Falls does have a sleazy run down feel to it, even in the nice sections.

Just sad what has happened to the orginial downtown. Although some say the real downtown is the area near the falls.

Downtown Niagara Falls is a great example of what happens when you open a mall in a small city, that really can only support one shopping area.

[salvius]

Originally Posted by cristian244

I always thought that the Canadian cities was perfect, clean.. and so forth, but after saw this pictures I'm worried. Not even the deep south Italian cities are like this. Just for tell that I wish to visit this country, it is my preferred ! and I also thought to move there, my wife is from Toronto!

Actually, it's pretty similar to some deep Italian cities that have witnessed heavy abandonment...

And that is precisely what happened with Downtown Niagara Falls -- it was abandoned for greener pastures. It simply didn't sit close enough to the lake for its status as the Canadian Atlantic City.

Niagara Falls as a whole is a hole. The tourist area is the worst sort of kitsch humanly imaginable, and the rest is either partially abandoned or run down... Such a cruddy city near such a wonderful natural feature. It is such a shame!

[xzmattzx]

Nice pictures. As much as I am in the Niagara Region, I have not been to many areas of Niagara Falls, and I have done very few threads (and this includes the tourist areas of Clifton Hill and Fallsview).

[Evergrey]

I prefer Niagara-on-the-Lake

[softee]

As was stated above, the rest of the city is not abandoned or even particularly run down, as it's a fairly typical and intact small Ontario city away from the bright lights of the tourist areas. Despite the condition of the old downtown area, the city of NF ON is still in FAR better shape and is far less crime ridden and depressed than NF NY, there's no comparison really.

I don't know if I would solely blame Niagara Square mall for killing the downtown though, there seem to be enough small cities that can support both a large regional mall and an active downtown core, with my own city being an example.

[DC83]

Originally Posted by miketoronto

Two words for why Downtown Niagara Falls looks the way it does. "Niagara Square" Mall.

Downtown Niagara Falls is a very very small section of the city. Only a couple blocks long, and it went into total decline thanks to suburban malls.

The rest of the city is not vacant. That being said, Niagara Falls does have a sleazy run down feel to it, even in the nice sections.

Just sad what has happened to the orginial downtown. Although some say the real downtown is the area near the falls.

Downtown Niagara Falls is a great example of what happens when you open a mall in a small city, that really can only support one shopping area.

One can't blame Niagara Falls' downtown decay on a single mall, Mike. Was that you I saw protesting alone infront of Cadillac Fairview Tower the other day? haha jks

The Falls & Niagara as a WHOLE went bust after Hamilton started to import Niagara's electricity in what? The 1910's? Once Niagara was no longer the only region with an abundance of energy to power it's many, many manufacturing plants it's residents left for better, higher paying jobs in a thriving metropolis (at the time) called Hamilton.

Niagara is complex.

Perhaps if the dowtown was built around the Falls rather than several mins north of it, we wouldn't see such an eyesore. In fact, I can guarantee that the "downtown" would have been almost completely demo'd during the '60s & '70s when "urban renewal" was sweeping the nation.

So let's be thankful that this "core" still exists and has the oportunity to come back to life. It just takes some innitiative & leadership... something the mafiosos running Niagara Falls has none of.

[flar]

While downtown NF, ON is dead, you don't see the residential abandonment of NF, NY there. I wouldn't blame the mall for downtown's demise. The suburbanization/mall phenomenenon is always a factor but is fairly constant across North America, it hasn't affected NF more than anywhere else. The entire Niagara region (except Niagara-on-the-Lake) is classic depressed rustbelt. Look at St. Catharines, Fort Erie, Welland or Port Colbourne. Look at the two nearest cities, Hamilton and Buffalo. Downtown NF is dead because thousands upon thousands of good paying manufacturing jobs are gone and because it's just a little too far away from the falls.

[miketoronto]

I don't think it has anything to do with jobs or people moving out, because Niagara Falls Ontario has had constant population growth, and pretty high family income levels, equal or higher to most of Ontario. They are not poor.

This is in contrast to Niagara Falls New York which has been in a 50 year population decline and is actually being abandoned.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by miketoronto

Two words for why Downtown Niagara Falls looks the way it does. "Niagara Square" Mall.

Downtown Niagara Falls is a very very small section of the city. Only a couple blocks long, and it went into total decline thanks to suburban malls.

The rest of the city is not vacant. That being said, Niagara Falls does have a sleazy run down feel to it, even in the nice sections.

Just sad what has happened to the orginial downtown. Although some say the real downtown is the area near the falls.

Downtown Niagara Falls is a great example of what happens when you open a mall in a small city, that really can only support one shopping area.

I thought that it would have something to do with bus routes.

Wow, that's the first time I saw the "real" Niagara Falls. For the longest time, I thought Clifton Hill was its actual downtown, until a NF native told me at school. He said Clifton Hill may be the face of Niagara Falls, but the ACTUAL downtown is a ghetto. I guess he was right...

And Miketoronto...come on. A MALL did this?! You wouldn't possibly say that Clifton Hill had some role to play, could you?

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by flar

While downtown NF, ON is dead, you don't see the residential abandonment of NF, NY there. I wouldn't blame the mall for downtown's demise. The suburbanization/mall phenomenenon is always a factor but is fairly constant across North America, it hasn't affected NF more than anywhere else. The entire Niagara region (except Niagara-on-the-Lake) is classic depressed rustbelt. Look at St. Catharines, Fort Erie, Welland or Port Colbourne. Look at the two nearest cities, Hamilton and Buffalo. Downtown NF is dead because thousands upon thousands of good paying manufacturing jobs are gone and because it's just a little too far away from the falls.

it's true, the residential areas surrounding the downtown of NF ON don't look bombed out and like a city in the Third World like residential areas surrounding downtown NF NY. Manufacturing job losses, not being located closer to the tourist areas aka The Falls themselves, the construction of Niagara Square (which is a rather pathetic mall I must say)and due to the fact that Niagara Falls, Ontario is kinda sprawly with dozens of strip malls and plazas surrounding new residential cul de sacs in the north and south ends has meant the future of downtown will stay in this condition unless a huge sum of money is thrown that way to fix it up.

[Wigs]

p.s. thanks for the pictures!

[Tony]

Originally Posted by miketoronto

I don't think it has anything to do with jobs or people moving out, because Niagara Falls Ontario has had constant population growth, and pretty high family income levels, equal or higher to most of Ontario. They are not poor.

I'm pretty sure these "facts" are inaccurate.

Jobs definitely had something to do with it, ever since the closure of local industries and the shift to generally lower-paying tourist industry jobs, the area has been in drastic decline.

btw, stop blaming the mall you ALWAYS do this whenever NF downtown comes up (zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz). Even the mall is struggling to revitalize now and a few years back was in rough shape.

If you don't know much (or in some cases anything at all) about the community don't make up assumptions just because you can name off the local mall.

[MolsonExport]

^word.

[theman23]

Originally Posted by Cambridgite

. He said Clifton Hill may be the face of Niagara Falls, but the ACTUAL downtown is a ghetto.

It can't really be a ghetto when no-one's living there...

[Ex-Ithacan]

Entertaining (if gritty gruesome) set of pics. NF ON downtown = NF NY downtown. I didn't realize that. Thanks for the tour flar. And now I know where to go to learn Hold Em Poker.